Leona Maguire is a spherical away from successful for the second straight week and changing into the primary lady from Ireland to win a significant.
All that stands in the way in which of the 28-year-old from Cavan is a detailed good friend from Northern Ireland — Stephanie Meadow — and 30-year-old Jenny Shin, who not is simply glad to be enjoying on the LPGA Tour. She needs to win once more, badly.
Maguire birdied the ultimate gap for her eighth straight spherical within the 60s to take a one-shot lead over fast-closing Shin and a two-stroke edge over Meadow on Saturday, heading into the ultimate spherical of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Maguire is on the high of her sport. She gained in Michigan final week for her second LPGA Tour victory, and her play has carried over at historic Baltusol, the positioning of 12 majors. She has hit 38 of 42 fairways and 48 of 54 greens within the first 54 holes, and her 2-under 69 Saturday gave her a 7-under whole on a course that was powerful, however gettable, after two days of intermittent rain softened the greens.
“I don’t think it’s any different,” the 28-year-old Maguire mentioned after retaining a one-shot lead. “I think it’s one more round of golf. I have to hit one shot at a time tomorrow and play some really good golf. It doesn’t matter that it’s a major. It’s really no different than any other day, and I’m not going to treat it any different.”
Shin matched one of the best spherical of the event with a bogey-free 66 that featured 5 birdies. The South Korean has lived within the United States since she was 9. She admitted she began enjoying golf as a result of her dad and mom wished it.
“I didn’t roll into this game wanting to be No. 1 in the world,” she mentioned. “I was just happy being out here. ‘Oh, I’m an LPGA Tour player. I’m one of the best world players in the world.’”
Playing was extra a aim than successful, although she gained on tour in 2016. Her perspective has modified lately.
“I’m a perfectionist in some ways, and you can never be perfect with this game, but I would like to give it a try,” Shin mentioned. “So I’m digging my own grave.”
Meadow, who performed at Alabama and completed third within the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014 in her first professional occasion, was alone in third place after a 68 put her at 5-under 208. She has not gained on the LPGA Tour, however has gained on the ladies’s European circuit.
“I can’t think of anything much better for Irish women’s golf, which is incredible,” Meadow mentioned of two Irish girls excessive on the leaderboard. “We have been close. I mean, we’ve known each other since — I mean, she was probably 10, and I was 13 or something like that. So it’s been quite the journey together for both of us to make it.”
Meadow had her finest end of the yr, a T-13, final weekend and she or he is wanting ahead to the ultimate spherical.
With the specter of extreme climate for the ultimate spherical on Sunday, the PGA introduced play will begin at 8:15 a.m. EDT, and the sphere will likely be grouped in threesomes enjoying off each nines. The leaders are scheduled to tee off at 10:38 a.m., with Maguire and Meadow enjoying with Shin.
First-round chief Lee-Anne Pace (70) of South Africa and Ruoning Yin (69) of China have been three pictures again, and Lauren Coughlin (68) and world No. 1 Jin Young Ko (69) of South Korea have been one other stroke off the tempo on a sunny day through which forecast storms by no means developed.
Xiyu Lin, who began the spherical a shot behind Maguire, slipped to 2-under 211 together with Americans Megan Khang and Mina Harigae and Yuka Saso of Japan.
Rose Zhang, who gained in her skilled debut earlier this month, acquired herself into competition at 1 underneath with a 68, ending with a tap-in eagle on the par-5 18th. The 20-year-old did a tv interview, however walked away from media after her spherical.
Several gamers have been inside placing distance heading into the third spherical, however struggled.
Rookie Celine Borge of Norway shot at 74 and was at 212, a shot forward of Brooke Henderson (72) of Canada and world No. 5 Minjee Lee (75) of Australia.
Mel Reid of England, who was a shot off the lead after a second-round 67, wanted 10 further pictures. Well, make that 9. She was accessed a one-stroke penalty for illegally lifting her ball on the fifth gap. She marked it and didn’t understand it was not on the inexperienced. She was at 215 with Gina Kim (74).